Kaplan training helps win a place

After the A-level examination results have been released in Hong Kong, it is time for the successful candidates to ponder their future.

Some may choose to leave Hong Kong, the city they are familiar with, and go to another country to pursue further studies.

There are dozens of places, and a variety of schools, for them to choose from when it comes to studying overseas, such as community schools, boarding schools and universities.

Students who intend to study overseas are normally required to sit certain tests.

The place they choose to pursue further studies at will determine which test they need to sit.

Students are normally required to sit TOEFL if they want to study in the United States.

At the same time, IELTS is another test they are advised not to miss if they wish to pursue studies in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Some students who lack the confidence to sit these tests may wish to obtain some much-needed extra help.

In such cases, joining preparation courses to familiarise yourself with the test contents and the question-and-answer formats may be a good option.

For many years in Hong Kong, Kaplan has been offering preparation courses for various standardised tests, including SAT, SAT Subject Tests, SSAT, TOEFL, IELTS, GMAT and GRE.

Crystal Kwong, manager of sales and marketing at Kaplan, says the main purpose in launching these courses is that they can identify the needs of the students, so that they can cater for those needs.

'We aim to help more and more students gain admission to the world's renowned colleges and universities, and also to help employees enhance their competitiveness in the workplace,' she says.

Kwong adds that from the time these courses were launched by Kaplan right up until now, they have already helped over 100,000 students - and more than 600 entrepreneurs - to score high marks on standardised tests.

They have also successfully helped them to improve their language ability.

Kwong also says that IELTS test has steadily gained more recognition from universities around the world, even from those in the US.

'Recently, we found that over 3,000 institutions and universities in the US treat the qualification of IELTS as an assessment of the English proficiency of their applicants,' she says.

'So those who want to continue their studies in the United States may also consider taking the IELTS test,' Kwong adds.